AtHomeMBA2005 wrote:
I disagree with the responses here. Now, if name recognition is your goal, Indiana's Kelley program is going to provide the best value on that attribute. However, ASU is the most up and coming program of the three. "You get what you pay for" is overused in this forum, but in this case, for these three schools, it does ring true.
ASU is the most up and coming program of the three, which is why it jumped to #25 in the US News. Their recent moves with funding full time scholarships has already had a drastic positive impact on their GMAT and selectivity scores.
I wouldn't be surprised if ASU leapfrogs Indiana and jumps to #16 within the next two years.The reason Auburn is ranked so low is simple: it's not that great of a program. If it was better, more people would be talking about it. Sure, it costs less than ASU or Indiana, and Auburn as an institution carries some recognition (although it is not prestigious). But if it were of a higher quality, you would be reading a lot more about how great it is. Search GMAT club for reviews of Auburn's online MBA - or even their full time program. You'll find nothing! The reason being their MBA program is pretty much a regional thing.
You should go ASU here, 100%. For an online program, it is going to be just as good if not better than Indiana. And If I am reading your resume and it says you worked in Nevada and went to ASU, it is not a red flag. But if you worked in Nevada and went to Indiana or Auburn, it looks kind of weird and at that point the online factor becomes my first thought. Good luck with your choice!
AtHomeMBA2005 is right about the B-School rankings. There's no disputing that USNWR has the IU and ASU full-time programs ranked way above Auburn. FWIW, I would definitely pay $25k+ more to attend the full-time programs at IU or ASU. Online programs are a different beast though IMO--especially when you're keeping your job and staying with your current company.
If OP's goal is to advance within their current org (as they stated), I suggest it may not be worth $25k more to get the exact same credential. I doubt future promotions or job opportunities will hinge on whether management sees "Arizona State Online MBA" versus "Auburn Online MBA" on OP's resume during the next promotion review. If they care about MBAs as a benchmark, that checkbox will be ticked either way. What they will definitely care the most about is work output and what OP knows (both of which are entirely independent of whether OP chooses to be a Tiger, a Sun Devil, or a Hoosier).
If it were me, I would choose not to (needlessly) shell out an extra $25k+ for the same three letters...unless there was a compelling case to make that the
quality of life doing the ASU program was significantly better and/or there was a
very clear ROI on the $$$ for being a Sun Devil versus a Tiger (which I doubt anyone could make a convincing case for). No one is going to be talking about how "prestigious" your
online MBA is now, in five years, or 20 years down the line. It is the credential itself and knowledge you acquire that count...something that you can get from any of these three programs.
Again though, this is totally your call OP. Good luck!